Sources

In India 1-phase and 3-phase 50 Hz ac supplies are readily available in most locations.
Very low power drives are generally fed from 1-phase source. Rest of the drives are
powered from 3-phase source; except in the case of traction drives where even at very
high power levels, 1-phase supply is used because of economy. Most drives are
powered from ac source either directly or through a converter link. When fed directly
from 50 Hz ac supply, maximum speeds of induction and synchronous motors are
limited to 3000 rpm. For higher speeds, conversion to higher frequency supply
becomes mandatory. Low and medium power motors (tens of kilowatts) are generally
fed from 400 V supply; for high ratings, motors may be rated at 3.3 kV, 6.6 kV, 11 kV
and higher.
In case of aircraft and space applications, 400 Hz ac supply is generally used to
achieve high power to weight ratio for motors.
In main line traction a high voltage supply is preferred because of economy. In India
25 kV, 50 Hz supply is employed. In underground traction major expenditure is cost
of the tunnel which should be minimized by keeping its cross-section just enough for
the train. Consequently, clearance between live conductor and the earth has also to be
minimum. In view of this, underground traction systems employ a low voltage (500 to
750 V) dc supply. In Western India 1500 V dc is used for main line and the suburban
traction which is uneconomical, and therefore, future installations will not use it.
Some drives are powered from a battery, e.g. fork lift trucks and milk vans.
Depending on size, battery voltage may have typical values of 6 y, 12 V, 24 V, 48 V
and 110 V dc. Another example of drives fed from a low voltage dc supply is solar
powered drives used in space and water pumping applications. These drives, though
presently very expensive have a great future for rural water pumping and low power
transport applications.
Although choice of a motor does depend on the type of supply but there are many
other factors which are even more important. Therefore, a dc motor may be preferred
over ac even when the ac supply is available and ac motors may be preferred over dc
even when the supply is dc.